St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-28
Insane Jealousies Of Moslem Physicians
Toward Their Christian Rivals.
THEIR MURDEROUS METHODS.
DR.. Katepian Suffers Death at Their
Hands Simply Because he Was
Called by the Sultan.

g. :s 5; ;5?;; &; 5:54 Rs: S;
now living in New York. to a
New York Star reporter, "why, it IS
nothing here; / have seen no evidences
of it, nor do / believe the men In the
profession in this country capable of
such thoughts. In ConStantinople, how
ever, it is INDUCED i'm to an extent that
would he quite amusing, were it not
often disastrous in it's results. One of
my dearest friends fell victim to this
rivalry, and l myself would not be liv-
ing had | not fled ingloriously from the
schemes and Vaccinations of my col
leagues.
''Constantinople has, in comparison
with American cities, only very few
physicians, and among them the Chris
tan, or, as the MahOmetanS call them.
the nOn-belieYerS, are the most widely
known. the public crediting them with
a more thorough education and better
preparation for their duties than they
themselves enjoy. Naturally they have
greater confidence in them than in doc
tors of their own faith. The fact, too,
that they are not FatalistS counts well
in their favor. The population of Con-
stantinOple, it should be said, embraces
as many ArmenianS, Europeans, Jews
and ASiaticS in general as there are FOL
lowers of the prophet.
..By this confidence in the Christian
element the native doctors are injured
not alone i'm their pockets. but in their
religious belief and fanaticiSm, This
fanaticiSin lives even to-day. and with
two-edged sword it sacrifices its victims
upon the altar of its superstition. The
fate of the friend, DR.. Katepian, to
whom referred a few moments ago, is
an instance of the truth of my charge.
You must understand that the
household. So-called, of the sultan in
ciudeS a goodly portion of the city
proper, and numbers upward of $1,000
persons under that pOteDt'S direct con-
troll. and who subsist upon his private
pay roll. in this vast household none
other than Turkish physicians are per-
mitted to practice. When, therefore,
DIR. Katepian. some four years ago. re-
ceiyed summons from the sultan to
attend him at the DOlma BagdSche and
perform all operation on one of his fav-
orite slaves, the doctor was no less sur
priSed than hOnOred, as you can under-
stand.
My friend coniured great conse-
quences from this call. He knew we'll
what the operation was to be. and he
knew. too. that it was one he had be-
fore successfully accomplished in the
course of his professional career. Then,
TOO, he was probably the only man in
C0nstantinople who was capable of do
ing SO. He saw in his minds eye the
unhappy conclusion of his attendance,
and he pictured himself the first Chris
tan physician at the court of his maj
a, L., ,ol - III E.s..1 a.
ings when they told him if he was not
successful the sultan would employ
some means of putting him out of the
way, and if he did succeed the ire of
every Mohammedan doctor III the city
would be aroused. and they would GER
tainly seek an early opportunity for re-
Vengc.
He went into the duty imposed upon
him enthusiastically and succeeded
even beyond his expectations. He was
brilliantly successful, receiving from
the Sultan the most fiattering aSSur
anceS of gratitude and respect.
Eight days later. and while katepian
was still in the condition of semi-deleri-
Gus contentment into which the Sultan's
praise had thrown him, he received a
messenger who requested that he call
in the evening at the home of the
father in-laW of one of the beSt-knOwn
Turkish physicians there, for the pur-
pose of participating in a consultation.
He accepted the invitation and that
night, taking carriage, started for the
house in question. which was located in
a small suburb mile or more from the
city.
'.The first knowledge | had of the
circumstance was when son of DR..
Katepian called upon me the following
morning, telling he the circumstances
as have given them to you, and adding
that his father had not returned during
the night. Alarmed, and | must say
slightly suspicious, made inquiries and
a thorough search for my friend. Agents
were sent in every direction to look for
him, but without result. The authori-
ties were notified and publicity given
the case, but all to no purpose, until
eight days later his body was taken out
of the BOSphorus.
'.ThiS denouement, while it shocked,
did not surprise me, and merely con-
frmed the suspicion [ had entertained
all along. 1t created great uprOar,
however, among the Christian pOpula
ton. An inquest and autopsy was held
in the Armenian church before forty
Christian physicians and vast assem-
blage of Christian citizens. The result
was that the authorities were convicted
of miSstatementS when they asserted my
friend had been drowned, as it was
shown that he had been smOthered and
his dead body thrown into the water.
l conducted the post-mortem, and, as
was my duty. signed the report setting
forth the findings. did not give the
idea thought that this would bring any
unpleasant consequences upon my head,
but | soon found there was muttering
against me by the MOhOetan doctors. |
was credited with being the principal
one in the agitation leading to the in
ueStigatiOn. and | became an object of
dislike to them.
1.-The result of the autopsy was laid
before the High Porte with a petition
signed by 10000 Christian residents
praying that the matter be made the
subject of official inquiry, and that
the brutal culpritS might be brought
to justice, as murder had unqueS-
tionably been committed. In response
to this petition the sultan expressed his
regret at the unhappy event. and
stopped there. Nothing was done to
upset or go behind the official white
wash report as originally made, and the
matter was cOolly ignored.
murder had been accommodating. Among
other things, the cab driver who had
taken the doctor to the house of the
alleged patient said: When the doctor
left my carriage he instructed me to
wait for him, which did until Turk,
some time later, came out of the house,
and, presumably authorized to do so,
paid me and told me to return to the
city, as the doctor would be engaged the
balance of the night.
''Thus the most prominent Christian
physician i'll the country, man widely
known and highly respected, was MUIR
dered by his professional colleagues
through jealousy and fanaticiSm, and
his murder was permitted to pass un-
avenged.
Il had not recovered from the shock
of this terrible affair when l, by chance,
discovered that l myself had been Sc